


Lost in Newark

by daddyoshie



Category: Hockey RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2017-2018 NHL Season, Angst, Angst and Humor, Gen, Guilt, Team as Family, Washington Capitals, also djoos is an awkward anxious idiot, i wanted an interaction between the two so i made it happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 10:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16061075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddyoshie/pseuds/daddyoshie
Summary: It was Christian’s worst nightmare: somehow, some way, the plane had left without him. He had no phone, no money, and no way to get home.He was alone in New Jersey, and he only knew one person in town who could help him.





	Lost in Newark

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know any other languages, so please suspend some disbelief and pretend all the conversations between the Swedes are in Swedish.
> 
> Also, a huge thanks to hufflepuff4life for the beta!!

It was Christian’s worst nightmare: somehow, some way, the plane had left without him. He did not know how in the world that was possible. All he knew was that he had woken up, looked at the clock, and had gone into an all-out panic. His first reaction was to check his phone, but he quickly realized it was dead and useless to him. He started ripping apart his room looking for his charger before remembering he’d given it to Andre last night, who hadn’t given it back.

He burst out of his room and started frantically pounding on the doors of all his teammates. No answer. His stomach started twisting in knots and his heart was pounding. He had a very bad feeling about this.

His worst fears were realized when he went down to the front desk and asked about his teammates.

“Oh, they’ve already checked out. They left.”

Christian’s heart dropped into his stomach. The team had forgotten him. And by this time, the plane would surely be long gone.

He was alone in New Jersey, with no one to go to and no way to call anyone.

His anxiety screamed at him to panic, but he took a deep breath and convinced himself to stay calm. He had to. He had to come up with some sort of plan. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stay here in this hotel in Newark.

Then he remembered something. Nicky had prepared him for something like this. He had told Christian he hoped to god he’d never have to use it, but alas, Christian was in a dire situation.

He went straight back up to his room and immediately dove into his suitcase. There, tucked deep into the bottom of his luggage, was a small, thin binder. Nicky had made a bunch of them and given them out to the young guys over the years. In the binders were emergency contacts, to be used if you were ever in a different city without the team and had to get in touch with somebody safe, just like Christian had to do now. All the contacts were ex-teammates, people scattered around the United States and Canada that Nicky trusted to help out his young teammates if they were ever in trouble.

Christian started flipping through the contacts, all listing the names, cities, phone numbers, and addresses of these guys. _Michal Neuvirth — Philadelphia. Mathieu Perreault — Winnipeg._ _Eric Fehr — Toronto. Mike Green — Detroit. Joel Ward — San Jose. Troy Brouwer — Calgary. Jason Chimera — New York. Justin Williams — Raleigh. Karl Alzner — Montreal. Nate Schmidt — Las Vegas_.

And then Christian found the name he was looking for, on the last page of the binder.  _ Marcus Johansson — Newark _ .

After spending a few minutes packing up, he rolled his suitcase back downstairs, binder still clutched to his chest. He went back to the front desk, praying he’d get an answer he’d like.

“Excuse me, you don’t happen to know if the Devils are playing here tonight, do you?” he asked.

“You’re out of luck, kid. They played last night. Just missed ‘em. But they have a game at the Rock tomorrow. Maybe you could catch ‘em then.”

Of course he knew that the Devils had played here last night, he had been on the fucking ice himself. But this meant they had an off day in town. Perfect. Perhaps he was in luck after all. He opened the binder on the counter and asked the guy one more question.

“How far away am I from this address?”

* * *

Miraculously, they were only a few blocks away, and Christian could walk. He only had a few dollars left in cash and, like a fucking idiot, had forgotten his card. Otherwise, he would have just hopped on a bus or a train back to Washington and this whole mess could have been forgotten. But no, he was a moron, and all he wanted to do was die because of how stupid he felt.

Regardless, he kept his head held high. No matter how anxious he was feeling on the inside, he always made sure to project a feeling of confidence on the outside. It made people think he was more mature than usual for his age, which he was. He liked to think he was mature and put together, especially for a young guy, even if he made dumbass mistakes like this one.

He stood at the front door, rolling his bag behind him. He forced himself to take a deep breath. He had to do this. Nicky trusted his guy like family, and Christian really had no choice other than to trust him too and put his fate in his hands. 

He knocked on the door.

Needless to say, Marcus was surprised when he opened the door to see a shuffling, anxious Djoos on the other side. His eyes were wide in shock, then he furrowed his eyebrows in scrutiny and confusion.

“Djoos?” he asked in surprise. Christian and Marcus had had some brief introductions at training camps in the past, and they’d played against each other last night, so it made sense that Marcus recognized him. Still, it felt weird to hear his name from the mouth of someone he’d never properly met and who had been so close to the important people in his life. “What are you doing here?” Marcus asked in their native Swedish.

Christian shifted his hands in his pockets. “Hi, Marcus,” he said, having trouble meeting Marcus’s eyes. “So I, uh...this is awkward, but...Nicke said I should go to you if I was ever in Newark and needed help.” He paused. “I’m in a little bit of trouble. The team plane left without me and Burky took my fucking charger so my phone’s dead and I can’t call anybody and I barely have any money on me and I —”

Something in Marcus’s brain clicked. “Wait, you had to use the book?”

Christian, wide-eyed, nodded.

Marcus belly-laughed. “Good lord, even  _ Andre _ never had to use it. You must really be in trouble.”

Christian scraped his shoe on the ground. “Yeah. I hate asking but...can you help me?”

Marcus mustered up a tiny smile. “Come inside.”

* * *

Christian went and sat straight and still on the couch, hardly daring to touch anything, and Marcus immediately got on the phone and had a long call with Nicky. Christian tried not to eavesdrop, but Nicky was so loud that he could hear his voice on the other line even from all the way across the room. He couldn’t distinguish exactly what Nicky was saying, but he got a pretty good idea from Marcus’s side of the conversation.

“Nicke, how’s it going? Listen, you might already know this, but one of your teammates came to my door today...yes, calm down...yes, he’s perfectly fine, I promise...yes, he’s in my house right now, and I promise he won’t go anywhere without me...I know...uh, he said something about his phone being dead, apparently Burky has his charger...yeah, always Burky’s fault...anyway, I’ve got him here, he’s got no money on him, do you want me to stick him on a train or something?...yeah, that makes sense...alright, we’ll wait right here for it...Nicke, he’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll feed him and everything. Do you not trust me?...I know. But this is exactly why you made the book, has anyone even had to use it before?...well, there’s a first time for everything...okay, so you gave them my number, and they’ll let us know when they’re here?...great...okay, he’ll be with you soon...say hi to Andre and give Kuzy my love, okay?...alright, bye, Nicke.”

As Marcus hung up the phone, Christian turned his head straight forward and acted like he hadn’t been listening. Marcus came and sat down on the couch beside Christian.

“Is Nicke mad?” Christian asked tentatively.

“Mad? No,” Marcus assured him. “Worried sick, absolutely. They tried to find you when the plane took off but they couldn’t, and they’ve been calling you ever since. Nicke’s been worrying out of his mind.”

Christian looked at the floor, his stomach twisting. “I don’t want to make them worry that hard.”

“That’s ‘cause they care about you, kid. They’d do the same for anyone. Just imagine if Andre went missing and how big of a frenzy that would be.”

Christian had to admit, that got a little bit of a smile to pull at his lip. “So...what’s the plan?”

“Nicke got the team to send up a car. He said it’ll be about four hours until it gets here to pick you up.”

Christian started to panic. “Four hours? That feels like such a long time.”

“Relax, it’ll be alright. We’ll just kill the time here. I can make you some food —  when was the last time you ate?”

In all of his panic, Christian realized he’d forgotten to eat breakfast. “Uh...last night,” he said sheepishly.

“Then I think it’s high time for some food.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Christian was settled on a stool at the kitchen counter as Marcus got to work on some pancakes.

He’d heard tales of Marcus’s famed pancakes, but he never thought he’d get to try them for himself. When he took a bite, he realized that Andre had actually  _ under _ sold them. They were light and fluffy, and it felt like he was eating a cloud. Christian was pretty adept in the kitchen, but he knew that he could never even dream of making pancakes this delectable. Christian’s growling stomach couldn’t get enough, and he was shoveling pancakes in faster than Marcus could make them.

“Jeez, you may be skinny, but you sure can eat,” Marcus chirped.

Christian blushed. “Sorry. Gotta bulk up, you know. And I feel rude, sorry, I ate like ten of those, I feel like I’m taking advantage of your hospitality.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Marcus smiled. “Actually, it’s kind of nice. It’s like having Burky around again.”

Suddenly, Christian wasn’t so hungry anymore. He set his fork down. “Well, I’m nothing like Burky, believe me.”

“No, you’re more like Nicke.”

Christian’s eyes snapped up. The comment was one that seemed to hold a lot of weight, but Marcus acted so casual about it, simply starting to clean up the kitchen rather than paying any attention to his words.

“Really? Like Nicke? Me?” Christian asked.

“Oh yeah, I see a lot of him in you,” Marcus said. “You guys look alike, you’re both quiet, shy...Nicke used to be really shy, you know.”

Christian grinned. “Really? I mean, I know he doesn’t really like the media, but shy?”

“Absolutely.” Marcus threw the last of the dishes in the sink and leaned his elbows on the counter. “He was scared of everything and barely talked to anyone. He would get flustered all the time. But he’s grown now. Has he started acting like an embarrassing dad yet?”

He smirked. “Yeah. But he’s not nearly as embarrassing as Burky.”

“Andre will be the most annoying and clingy little brother you never wanted.” Marcus started to chuckle, then stopped. “Wait,  _ you _ aren’t the little brother, are you? I don’t know if things have changed.”

Something felt weird in Christian’s gut. “No, I’m older. And I certainly feel like it.”

Marcus’s lip twitched up. “Andre can’t stand not being the baby. I’m glad he still has someone to annoy now that I’m gone.”

Suddenly, Christian recognized the feeling in his gut: it was guilt. He looked down, starting to fidget with his hands and trying to think of an excuse to leave the kitchen and this conversation.

Marcus hadn’t missed the change in his expression. “What’s wrong? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Christian said, biting his lip. “Sorry, I just...I feel weird, being here. With you.”

Marcus furrowed his brow. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t know, I just…” Christian tried to find the proper words. “All this talk about Burky and Nicke and family, and...I can’t help but feel like I, you know...replaced you. On our team. In the family.”

Christian couldn’t look Marcus in the eye. He kept his eyes glued pointedly at his own feet, praying that he would disappear.  _ Why in the world did he say that? Idiot. _ He was terrified of what Marcus would say to him.

But Marcus came over, put a hand on his shoulder, and spoke to him softly. “Why do you feel that way?”

Christian took a deep breath. “I don’t know. You leave the team, I show up. Always three Swedes. Burky treats me like a brother, Nicke treats me like a son. They talk about you a lot, and I realized I never really knew you, and I feel like I kind of took your place. And I feel guilty about that.”

A beat passed. Christian was afraid he’d said something wrong. But then Marcus spoke again.

“Christian, I promise you’re not replacing me. Firstly, you’re definitely not replacing me on the ice, you’re a defenseman, so definitely don’t worry about that. Secondly, I’m five years older than you. We’re different people, and we have different roles in the so-called family. I was Andre’s big brother, but Nicke treated me more like a little brother than a son. You’re not the same, and that’s okay. Trust me, if I were still there, there would be room for all of us. You are not a replacement, and I don’t feel replaced.”

“But you’re  _ not _ still there,” Christian pointed out, his voice edging on hysteria.

“I know. And it sucks.” Marcus’s voice got quieter. “I miss them so much. I miss everyone down in Washington. I wish I could still be there. And I wish I could have gotten to know you better, too. You could be another brother to me. But I’ll never have that.”

The two of them sat in silence for a little bit, not saying anything, just listening to the distant ticking of the clock out in the living room.

“This sucks,” Christian said.

Marcus laughed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Why can’t everything just work out and be happy? I hate feelings.”

That made Marcus giggle. “You sound more and more like Nicke the longer I’m around you.”

Christian smiled and laid his head down on the counter. “I wish I’d gotten to know you better, too. You seem like a cool big brother.”

“Lucky enough for us you were dumb enough to get yourself left behind in Newark.”

Christian turned completely red. “Hey, I made a mistake. It happens.”

“Not very often. You had to use the book! Nicke said that no one’s ever had to use that before.”

He pressed his face onto the marble. “Great.”

“Hey, buck up, that’s quite an accomplishment! I was starting to think that Nicke put my name and number in there with the rest of them for nothing.”

“Does this make me dumber than Andre?” Christian asked.

“No,” Marcus said. “Just unluckier.”

Christian groaned. Then he paused, thinking. “I wish I’d gotten to meet all those other guys in the book. They seem like great guys, from what I’ve heard.”

“They are. And all you have to do is get yourself lost in every single city you play in.”

Christian gave Marcus a glare; it was meant to be intimidating, but it just made Marcus laugh.

Marcus stood up straight. “We have a few more hours to kill. I’ve got a ping-pong table, or we could flip on the TV.”

Christian rose from the stool. “I have heard infamous tales about your ping-pong skills, and I am nowhere near foolish enough to challenge you. TV will be just fine.”

* * *

The car showed up four hours after the call, just like Nicky had said it would.

They stood out in the cold next to the car, waiting to say an awkward goodbye. Christian cleared his throat. “Hey, thanks for, uh, helping me, and feeding me and...stuff.”

“Of course. I’m always here to help a friend.” He grinned. “Hey, now that you have my number, why don’t you text me? Or at least tell Burky to do it more.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

“Alright. I’ll see you out there on the ice.”

Marcus made a motion to stand back and wave, but Christian quickly embraced him in a hug. Christian was prepared for a quick release, but Marcus surprised him by hugging him back. It shocked him, but it felt nice.

It was brief, and soon afterward Christian let him go and stepped into the car. Marcus waved at him as the car drove away, and Christian waved back until he was out of sight.

Christian’s phone had been fully charged and he could see the messages rolling in, but he didn’t want to look at any of them right now. He shoved his phone into his bag, and he slept the entire ride back to D.C.

When Christian woke up, he found that they were driving through familiar streets. He realized he hadn’t given the driver his own address, and they certainly weren’t heading the right way for Kettler. So where were they going?

He got his answer when they turned into Nicky’s driveway.

Christian shouldn’t have expected anything else. By this time, it was late and practice would have been long over. And of course Nicky wanted to be the one to receive him.

Christian got out, thanked the driver, and rolled his bag up to the front door. He knocked, and within half a second Nicky opened the door and yanked him inside.

Nicky immediately went into frantic parent mode. “Christian! I have been worried sick about you. We couldn’t find you on the plane, and then we couldn’t reach you, and I feared the worst. But then Jojo called, and that was a relief, but I’ve still been worried, and you didn’t answer any of my messages on the way home…” Nicky drifted off, finally getting a good look at Christian. “Are you okay? Doing alright? Did Jojo treat you well?”

“I’m alright,” Christian reassured. “Just a little tired and overwhelmed. And don’t worry, Jojo took very good care of me.”

Nicky looked Christian up and down, like he knew there was more Christian wasn’t saying. But he let it go for now.

“That’s good to hear. Come into the living room, you can eat and wind down a little bit. And there’s someone here who’s been  _ dying _ to see you; he’s stuck around all day, I can’t get rid of him.”

The second Christian set foot in the living room, Andre sprung upon him and latched onto him like a koala.

“Djoos!! It’s so good to see you, I was getting scared. I’m sorry I stole your phone charger, I was  _ going _ to return it, I just forgot. I promise I won’t do that next time.”

Christian knew that was a lie, but he didn’t dispute Andre. Instead he just grumbled and said, “Good to see you, Andre. Now please let me sit down.”

Andre did let him sit down, but he still remained wrapped around Christian like a newborn primate. Christian decided to let it slide tonight.

Nicky returned from the kitchen, placing a plated sandwich on the coffee table in front of Christian. Christian was unsure how he was going to eat it with his arms pinned down by Andre’s embrace, but that was a problem he’d tackle later.

Nicky looked him in the eye. “You sure you’re okay? No lasting trauma?”

“I’m fine, I promise. A little hurt that the plane somehow left without me, but I’m fine,” Christian answered.

“I have no idea how that happened, but I promise you, it will never happen again. I will make sure of that,” Nicky said, dead serious.

“Papa’s never going to let you out of his sight again,” Andre teased. “You may as well move in.”

“You don’t need to keep constant watch of me, I can take care of myself,” Christian said.

“Clearly not,” Andre muttered. Christian elbowed him in the ribs.

“Christian, we’re a family, we take care of each other,” Nicky said. “The least I can do is make sure you’re not left behind in another city. What kind of a  _ person _ would that make me?”

“It’s not your fault, Nicke,” Christian reassured. “Besides, it wasn’t  _ that  _ bad.”

Nicky sat back. “Well, you  _ did  _ get to miss practice today,” he conceded. “And you got to spend the day with Jojo.”

“How is Jojo?” Andre’s big, expectant eyes turned to Christian. “Is he doing alright? Does he miss me? Does he know I miss him too?”

Christian’s heart twinged. “He knows. He wants you to text him more.” Andre humphed. “And he misses you, too. Both of you. A lot. And it’s killing him not to be here.”

For a second, it looked like Andre was going to cry. “I miss Jojo. I want him back. Tom said he was working on a plan to kidnap him, can we do that?”

Nicky sighed. “Andre, we’ve talked about this, no kidnapping.” Andre pouted. “We just have to make do. And visit Jojo during All-Star break and summers.”

Andre slumped. “Everything sucks.” He looked back at Christian. “I’m glad you got to meet him, though. Now maybe we can all be a family together. That’s what I want one day.”

If hearts could bleed, then Christian’s bled. “Yeah,” he said, “me too.”

He wanted it to be possible. The four of them, all together. He just didn’t know if it could ever happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, I know that no such schedule quirk actually happened for the devils that season, so I’m stretching the truth a little. And I know there is no way in hell an NHL team would EVER leave a player behind. And there’s no way he wouldn’t have money and wouldn’t be able to get back to DC in some sort of ride immediately. But we’re suspending disbelief here for the sake of the story.
> 
> Feel free to check me out on tumblr at daddyoshie, and my hockey main andrebearakovsky. Thanks for clicking on my fic, hope you guys enjoy!


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